Getting Started with Immortalia

How to Choose Your First Question

When you log in to Immortalia for the first time, you’ll be presented with a number of question categories; from Basic Facts, to Adolescence, to Regrets and Quirky Questions.

Welcome to your Immortalia home screen! From here, you can navigate through our bank of life questions, view your progress, and access information about upgrading to Immortalia Premium.

When you're ready to start telling your story, simply pick any category to view the full list of questions associated with that season of your life. It's that simple.

Open a category to see a full list of questions relating to that aspect of your life. Our questions are carefully curated to help you paint a full and engaging picture of your memories.

Many of our users choose to begin with Basic Facts, just to get the storytelling wheels in motion.

You might find, however, that starting with a very specific story can help immerse you in the process and jumpstart your memory.

For example, for your first question, you could choose, “Did you ever play any pranks on your neighbors and family?” under the Adolescence category. Or start with your Love life if you’ve got a romantic story that you’re excited to tell!

You can complete Immortalia questions in any order, and you can go back at any time to fill in the blanks or re-record an answer.

Did this answer your question? If not, Contact Us and we’ll be happy to help.

How to Find a Quiet, Well-Lit Place to Record

To get the most out of Immortalia, you’ll want to create exceptional quality videos that are sure to last for generations to come. That means finding a place to record that provides ample lighting and insulates you from any distracting noises.

Here are some Dos & Don’ts for choosing a place to record:

Do: Choose a room with lots of natural light for day recording. For recording at night, pick a spot with multiple sources of light in order to avoid harsh shadows or a spotlight effect.

Don’t: Pick a noisy spot like a coffee shop or your front porch! The microphone on your iPad or iPhone may have trouble picking up your voice if you’re surrounded by lots of ambient noise.

Do: Warn the rest of the household before you start recording. Asking them not to interrupt you while you record not only ensures quality audio and video; it also ensures you won’t lose your train of thought mid-story.

Don’t: Play music or other background noise. You’ll want your voice to come through crisp and clear on the final video.

Do: Pick a comfortable spot, like the sofa or your favorite chair. Wherever you choose, make sure you’ll be comfortable there for a long period of time while you tell your stories.

Did this answer your question? If not, Contact Us and we’ll be happy to help.

How to Look Your Best on Camera

Recording yourself on video can be intimidating for a lot of people. After all, we’re often our own harshest critics when it comes to our photographs – imagine how it can feel watching all of your little body language tics and facial expressions in real time!

Just remember, when you tell your story with Immortalia, you’re preserving your legacy for future generations of your loved ones; people that want to see you exactly the way you are.

You won’t need makeup or fancy outfits to create a lasting impression. Just follow these simple tips to make sure you look your best on camera.

Check Your Angles: Looking straight into the camera, or even slightly up, is best. Try to avoid holding the iPad or iPhone in your lap and looking down.

Check Your Distance: Position yourself a comfortable distance away from your device; just enough that your face fills the frame. Avoid being too close or too far away from the camera.

Check Your Lighting: Soft, even lighting is the best ways to ensure you’ll look great on camera. Try to avoid directing a single source of light onto your face, which will wash out your features and cast harsh shadows.

Check Your Smile: Don’t be afraid to emote! Smiling isn’t just about your mouth; it also brightens your eyes and changes your entire demeanor, helping you appear relaxed and comfortable on camera.

Did this answer your question? If not, Contact Us and we’ll be happy to help.

How to Comfortably Hold Your iPad

The iPad is truly a revolutionary technology that gives us unprecedented power and mobility in one compact device. But let’s be honest; it’s not exactly built for lengthy handheld videos.

We want you to be able to focus on telling your story, not fumbling with your device or constantly taking breaks because your arms are tired!

Follow these simple tips to comfortably position your iPad for steady, high-quality videos.

Buy a tripod or stand: Most electronics retailers carry a wide selection of tripods and stands for mobile devices, including iPads. Find one that secures to the base of your iPad and holds it in place for a hands-free video experience.

Try a special case: Having a case for your iPad is crucial for protecting it from wear and tear as well as damage from falls or other impact. But did you know that many iPad cases actually double as stands or props? Try a folding iPad case to keep the camera aimed perfectly with no effort on your part.

Prop it up: If you don’t have access to an iPad case or tripod, you can always prop it up against a stack of books on a table! This way, the iPad will remain steady during shooting. Make sure you’ve made the surface non-slip using a coarse tablecloth or by securing the iPad in the front with an additional weight.

For short video answers, feel free to handhold your iPad away from your face at arms length. Just don’t lock your elbows or hold this position for too long, or you may find your arms getting sore!

Did this answer your question? If not, Contact Us and we’ll be happy to help.

How to Tell an Amazing Story

Some people just have the gift, don’t they? They can capture an audience around the fireplace, the dinner table, or the barstool and spin tale after tale that surprise and delight the room.

Others of us aren’t so lucky. It’s not that we don’t have great stories to tell; it’s that we haven’t honed the oral storytelling skills needed to really bring down the house.

But that’s okay! Try these tips below to get the most out of the stories you tell with Immortalia.

Paint the Scene: Creating a sense of “place” in your stories can really go a long way. Help us imagine the setting and the mood. For example, if you’re telling a story that took place at your childhood home, don’t just say you were in the house. What room were you in? What did that room look like? What were you feeling when the story began? Every good story needs a solid starting point.

Don’t Leave Out the Details: Immortalia gives you the chance to capture everything your memory contains. Don’t spare us the details! Tell us what you ate, what it tasted like, how the sky looked, what your loved one was wearing, what the air smelled like, and how the sun reflected off the hood of your first car. These details may seem irrelevant to the big picture, but the best storytellers know that the minutiae are often the best part of any story.

Create Mystery: Don’t leave out interesting details, but do think about how and when you reveal them. Audiences love mystery, suspense, and anticipation. Telling the story of your marriage? Tease the bit about how you got your wife to agree to go on a date with you and save it until the end. Did someone pull a prank on you as a child? Don’t tell us whom it was right away; walk us through your detective work as you sought the culprit! Leave us guessing. Leave us wanting more.

Did this answer your question? If not, Contact Us and we’ll be happy to help.

Share Your Story With Immortalia Premium

Immortalia Premium gives you the best of the app for a one-time price of $39.99. Why upgrade to Premium? The perks are a plenty.

Record all you want. Because stories are uploaded to the cloud, there’s no need to fret about taking up space on your iPad or iPhone. No matter how many stories you record, they’ll be safe, sound, and accessible forever with us.

Upload and protect. This isn’t the old days of photo albums. Don’t worry about losing memories to flood, move, or misplacement. Everything you ever record is secure and protected on the Immortalia Cloud.

Share your stories. With Immortalia Premium, we encourage you to share your stories with friends and family. Post the videos and invite your loved ones to share in the memories.

How To Stay Motivated

Losing weight, learning a language, perfecting a recipe—none of these happen over night. Each takes time and each takes motivation. Creating a lasting legacy with Immortalia also takes time, commitment, and motivation.

If you stay motivated, the reward is a legacy your family will treasure for generations.

Question is: How do you stay motivated? We’ve pulled together a few tips to help you stay on your game and keep the stories flowing.

Set deadlines. You’re not likely to record much without a deadline. The trick to effective deadlines though is not setting ones that are going to create a burden and ultimately lead to failure. Set reasonable goals and give yourself time to complete them. The more often you hit your deadlines, the better you’ll feel and the more stories you’ll share. And of course the more stories you share the more memories you pass to your family and friends.

Share your work with family and friends. Immortalia is the gift that only you can give. It’s not as much for you as it is for friends and family. They are the ones who will cherish the stories. Let some close friends and family members know what you’re working on. Their encouragement will keep you motivated.

Make it a habit. Pharmaceutical companies have found that patients are more likely to stick to prescriptions that require a daily dose instead of weekly or monthly. Why? It’s nearly impossible a create a once a month habit. To create a habit, we suggest recording stories with Immortailia a few times a week. Try to pair Immortalia with habits you already have. For example, you could share a story every week after Sunday dinner.

Reward yourself. Creating a record of your life story is important work. Consider rewarding yourself for a job well done. Maybe you allow yourself a treat when you record a story. It could be a free half hour to go for a walk, a special piece of candy, or a phone call to a loved one (Tell them about the stories you recorded!). Recording stories will begin to associate with the rewards and soon you’ll feel an added rush of excitement every time you open the Immortalia app.